Dillon Danis appears to be in agreement with Chael Sonnen's opinion on the outcome of the Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis fight.
Du Plessis defeated Strickland via split decision to become the new UFC middleweight champion. The UFC 297 main event was a closely contested back-and-forth affair. While two judges scored three out of the five rounds for the South African fighter, one judge gave three rounds to Strickland.
Many experts said that they felt the decision could have gone either way. However, the decision has become a big talking point within the MMA community.
Ex-UFC fighter Chael Sonnen discussed the decision in a recent video posted to his YouTube channel. The three-time UFC title challenger was of the opinion that du Plessis won all five rounds of the fight, and that the split decision came as a surprise to him. He said:
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“[Sean Strickland] lost every round of the fight. I was stunned when it was a split decision.”
Watch Sonnen express his thoughts below (5:16):
Sonnen’s statement was recently posted on ESPN MMA’s Instagram account. Dillon Danis registered his agreement with Sonnen with a concise two-word reply:
“I agree.”
Chael Sonnen is surprised by Dana White and Joe Rogan’s scoring of the UFC 297 main event
While analyzing the Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis fight later in the video, Chael Sonnen questioned Dana White and Joe Rogan’s assessment of the outcome. White stated that he believed Strickland deserved the judges’ nod, while Rogan was also on the same page.
Sonnen not only scored all five rounds for du Plessis, but also scrutinized their opinions on the outcome of the bout. He said:
"My bigger surprise was when all was said and done, Joe Rogan, who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space, Dana White, who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space, both had Strickland. They both had Strickland. I thought, 'Did we watch the same thing?'"
Chael Sonnen claimed that he was rooting for Strickland to win the fight, but he said he felt that du Plessis caused more damage in the fight and deserved to win every round of the five-round contest.